The holiday season sparkles with promise. A mystical quality tempts us to peer beyond the veil into a place brimming with never-ending happiness…like living at Disneyland.

As children we embraced that joy with our whole heart. But as we grew older and more jaded, we lost the connection with the magic, some turning into die-hard cynics because it never reappeared.

The good news is, the magic is still there any time you want it.

The bad news is, you’ve had the key all along and didn’t know it.

The Key to Happiness is Helping Others

Yeah, I know. It sounds like watered down fortune-cookie wisdom. Still, it happens to be true. I’m talking from personal experience too, not reciting something from a Fast-Pass-to-Enlightenment guide. Giving is the focus of many faiths at this time of year, and for good reason.

As a teenager, I was suffered the same angst and self-doubt as everyone else. I was a nerdy overachiever with a side of art-geek, who thought happiness lay in chasing a goal. Funny how when I finally got “there”, happiness had already left the building. Sadly, this delusion lasted for years.

Finally, I had the good sense to volunteer at The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, after moving to San Francisco. I thought it would be a good way to meet people with the same interests, which it was. But more important, the experience opened me up to the secret of happiness. There’s a wonderful energy that comes from giving selflessly. Our Sunday Night Crew signed in at 5:00 pm, and in an El Nino winter, we often didn’t leave until sunrise. And we had a GREAT time on our shift too! I’d get home in time to shower and head to work. Magically, the energy carried me through the day…with a smile on my face.

A QuickStart Guide to Giving

If you’re one of the many who don’t have time to volunteer for a non-profit organization on a regular basis, you can do something to “give” everyday. And you’ll be surprised by the happiness you receive in return.

Give gently used clothes to local shelters or non-profit organizations.

Give towels and bedding to local animal shelters and rescue organizations.

Smile and say something nice to the checkout person at the grocery store. Your kind words will make their day.

At the end of a conversation with a Customer Service representative, when they ask you if there’s anything else they can do for you? Say, “Yes. Have a Happy Holiday!” Or, “Have wonderful day!” depending on the season.

Leave a copy of a favorite book on a table or bench with a “This is yours to enjoy!” note inside to whoever finds it. There’s a Teen Book Drop event called Rock the DropI’ve participated in for several years now. Why not spread the reading love all year long?!

Use a special talent, such as calligraphy, design, or organizational skills to help a non-profit organization promote an event.

The truth is, the more you give the happier you are…and the more you realize you have to give…in ways you never thought possible. It costs so little and the reward is priceless.

I was going to kick off summer with a light-hearted Sun, Surf, and Seals post that included a mention about the Leave Seals Be rescue campaign — sponsored by the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, California.

That is, until I heard about the crisis facing sea lion pups in California.

Hundreds of Starving Sea Lion Pups

More than a 1,000 stranded sea lion pups have washed ashore on California beaches since January, under nourished and basically starving to death. And the number keeps rising. This is more than six times the usual number of stranded pups. So far the cause appears to be a complete lack of their natural food source: bait fish, such as anchovies and herring. [Image from the Marine Mammal Center, Sausalito]

Southern California beaches have received the majority of the stranded pups. The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito stepped up, and is taking care of a good number of the starving pups to alleviate overcrowding in the Southern California rescue facilities.

While the cause of the problem is thought to be lack of the natural food source for these marine mammals, The Marine Mammal Center is looking into other possible causes. Their research includes screening for toxins and other elements.

Why all the fuss over a bunch malnourished baby sea lions? This degree of crisis could be a warning sign for a much bigger problem that would impact the human population. Determining the cause, is the first step in finding a preventative solution.

In the following news clip, Dr. Shawn Johnson, Director of Veterinary Science at the Marine Mammal Center, explains this distressing phenomena and his approach to solving it.

Discovery Channel: Rescuing Baby Sea Lions

Dollar-a-Pound

It’s been a few years since I volunteered at the Marine Mammal Center (in animal care), but I’m still a strong supporter. I know first-hand how dedicated these people are, and all the good they accomplish.

For these undernourished sea lion pups to have a chance at surviving in the wild, they need to eat a lot of fish, starting with the essential Fish Smoothie and working up to buckets of whole fish. The hungry patients are going through approximately 4,000 lbs of fish per week (at $1.00 per pound) – double the usual amount due to double the number of residents in their care.

To help the Marine Mammal Center continue their research and care for the stranded sea lion pups, you can go here to donate.

Twitter Challenge: #fish4pups

You can also help the sea lion pups by participating in my #fish4pups Twitter Challenge:

Tweet the link to this blog post and include the hashtag: #fish4pups

Tweet as often as you like between now and midnight on the 4th of July.

For every #fish4pups blog-link tweet, I will donate $1.00 to the Marine Mammal Center food drive.